La cosa

Tal vez sea hipersensible a las transformaciones genéticas de la gente en las películas, pero la primera vez que vi La cosa, cuando cursaba octavo de primaria, no pude dormir en toda la noche y sudaba como una fiera. Fue una experiencia terrible. Juré no volver a buscar una película de terror. También fue gracias a esta intensa experiencia que el género se convirtió más tarde en mi favorito. La cosa posee una atmósfera única de aislamiento y desesperación, perfectamente respaldada por la música sombría de Morricone, unos efectos especiales atemporales y una conclusión maravillosamente oscura y pesimista. Es una película de terror meticulosamente graduada que aprieta poco a poco la soga alrededor de tu cuello, y que es un bajón casi existencial desde el primer hasta el último segundo, intercalado con algunas de las escenas de terror más terroríficas de la historia. (04.06.2002)

I'll admit this one got me. As always, great atmosphere (I managed to nibble on the Encyclopedia of Fantastic Film while watching it), decent Morricone music, a pretty good Kurt Russell, really good visual effects for its time and above all a brilliant ending. I love this movie! (14.10.2002)

A horrifying parade of disgusting special effects with bodies disintegrating and mutating into hideous slimy creatures, the human head with spider legs is very cool. The chilling atmosphere of hopelessness and isolation perfectly underscores everything. We can only thank Carpenter for his bold directorial concept and the distribution company for having the courage to put this into wide distribution in its time. (07.07.2002)

I don't like horror as a genre, but survival horrors are an honorable exception. And The Thing is almost a perfect representative, apart from the repulsive "gore" scenes, it contains something much more effective – a game with the psychology of the viewer. The principle of placing a group of characters in an isolated place (in this case, the white plains of Antarctica), making it impossible to escape (in this case, a massive storm) and exposing them to an enemy that can hide inside any of them is proven, but nowhere does it work as perfectly as in The Thing. The minimalist screenplay draws attention to the raw atmosphere, the replicas of the characters are more so purposeful, everything important can be seen and, above all, FELT. Something almost physically palpable comes out of The Thing - fear is not felt by artificial props, but by real experience. When the Thing appears, there is almost relief... Real fear is ignorance, insecurity. In short, this is how I imagine the perfect horror about surviving in extreme conditions. And the atmosphere of the polar base is so unique that The Thing probably won't be improved upon any time soon. (27.01.2004)

The story is about a group of American scientists at a research station in Antarctica fighting against an extraterrestrial creature that can take human form. The film’s biggest strength is its superb atmosphere, which relies on the ubiquitous tension and mistrust among the main characters, and it’s amplified by the endless ice plains. But the “beautiful” creature effects are not very far behind and even the orthodox fans of bloody horror will get their fill. The Thing is hands down one of John Carpenter’s best films. (30.08.2007)